Although not his main point, he spends a lot of space bashing "liberals" and President Obama. And, then he takes a confusing and absurd side road to include socialism, baby-killing, restrooms and a misplaced quote from John Adams.

At the core, he seems to think the midterm election was a mandate in support of the extremist and ultra-conservative agenda heralded by many religious right organizations. However, by the end of the piece, he was using the opportunity to extend an open invitation to (conservative) presidential candidates to stop by the state for a cup of coffee to chat about all things he deems important.

In the article, Vander Plaats makes sweeping statements about the election, including that it was a mandate to "uproot Common Core and the Department of Education," to "re-establish policy that honors the timeless foundation of natural marriage so children can be taught virtue," and to embrace a society that "respects women and cherishes children by championing each ordained day from conception to natural death."

All are fear-driven, out-of-date platforms of the extreme, religious right. Per their normal practice, he arrogantly insists on inserting his particular religious belief into public law, all while promoting the religious right's agenda to dismantle and fully privatize public education, to place useless roadblocks to slow the inevitable trajectory of full marriage rights for all same-gender families, and to control women and our reproductive decisions.

But, this is what I know. Bob Vander Plaats, with his diminishing crowd of followers, does not speak for the majority of Iowans and certainly not for anyone who cares about the integrity of our U.S. or Iowa constitutions. For the majority of Iowans, separating religion and government is key to the promise of our democracy.

Most Iowans seek a political agenda that is filled with hope for the future. An agenda that understands equal protection is for all Iowans. Marriage is between two loving adults who have the right to be married regardless of gender. Women have the right to decide what is best for their bodies and to make their own healthcare decisions. And, public education is a cornerstone of this great country and is a promise to provide every child the tools to succeed in life.

Bob Vander Plaats' spin on the election is his own. He has every right to his opinion. But, he is wrong. This election was not about moving an aggressive, ultra-conservative agenda forward; an agenda that would hurt children, families, women, people in poverty, and more.

This election was about a growing frustration that "my voice doesn't matter" and that "our elected officials don't care about me." More people stayed home this election than went to the polls. More voters showed their disdain for money in politics by sitting on the couch. This election was not about Bob Vander Plaats and his extreme agenda, and it is arrogant of him to claim so. The lesson learned from this election is about our democracy and ensuring that every person feels relevant to its future.

So, Bob Vander Plaats can continue to wage his war on women, public school children and loving same-gender families. That's fine; it's his right.

I choose a different direction. I choose to engage others to find their voice to fight for same-gender families and equal protections as guaranteed under our state Constitution. I choose to empower Iowans to honor women and protect their right to make reproductive decisions on their own. I choose to work alongside parents, teachers and schools to ensure our public schools are financially healthy and are able to help every child learn and succeed to the best of their ability.

And, I choose to honor our U.S. Constitution when it says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." ensuring no one particular religious belief is given preference over others or inserted directly into our laws. That was the radical agenda of our country's founders and I think it was a good one. IMHO.